Claude Fontaine

Claude Fontaine (née Nicole Rosenfield) is a singer-songwriter whose music focuses on reggae, dub, bossa nova and tropicalia. She does not play them as hybrids or stylistic mergers, nor does she pick up some elements and integrate them into some indie style music. Nope. She plays them straight up as reggae and bossa nova, etc, in accordance with their original specs, which stands out in a world where genre hopping and hybridization is so prevalent. She has a breathy, sultry voice that feels like it popped right out of '60s French yé-yé music, and it works like a charm too, by adding a layer of trippiness to her dub-based songs, and some swoon to her bossa nova. Given that her songs tend to be sad ones dealing with heartbreak, having them delivered against such strong and (sometimes) lively grooves gives her music an nice touch.